English FA Premiership/ Sunderland 1 Manchester United 3: He is a very different player, with very different qualities, but there is a touch of Roy Keane in Wayne Rooney. When Manchester United malfunction, as they did for nearly half the match against Sunderland, it is now Rooney who burns with exasperation.

Keane's international retirement has not prevented some imagining him as the Republic of Ireland's next coach and the United supporters who baited Sunderland's manager Mick McCarthy for his bust-up with Keane during the 2002 World Cup will not settle until his long-term future at Old Trafford is confirmed.

Keane's stature is greater for his absence. As Sunderland crackled with competitive edge, United were reluctant adversaries. Alan Smith, the envisaged successor to Keane, is still too untutored in the role to be commanding, as if pausing to rebuke a team-mate might leave him 10 yards out of position. Cristiano Ronaldo just pouted - he was booked for petulantly kicking the ball into the crowd - and Paul Scholes captains as if in a silent movie. It was Rooney who looked aghast at United's static midfield and glared at the bench to do something about it.

Ji-Sung Park was one of his more reliable allies and it was the South Korean who switched to the right to deliver a telling pass for United's first goal in the 40th minute. Rooney collected the ball just inside United's half, a vigorous touch forward allowed Sunderland's central defenders no recovery time, before squeezing around the goalkeeper Kelvin Davis and rolling the ball in off the back of Justin Hoyte. "England are looking for him to win the World Cup for them and you can see why," said McCarthy.

Sunderland had rued the absence of their two playmakers, Julio Arca and Christian Bassila, but when Nyron Nosworthy outwitted Ronaldo with a cheeky back-heel, anything seemed possible.

Edwin van der Sar had to be a decisive presence in United's goal, beating Gary Breen's near-post header against a post and responding decisively to smother Andy Gray's effort.

Sunderland's high-tempo approach was impossible to sustain and United strolled through the second half. Park's enterprise deserved a goal but his shot from the edge of the area was blocked on the line by Breen. Then Steven Caldwell, who had been superb in Sunderland's defence, found that running off a leg injury is not advisable when up against Ruud van Nistelrooy, who duly overpowered him and scored a second 11 minutes from time.

The instantaneous pass was Rooney's and told of his footballing intelligence.

Ireland striker Stephen Elliott then scored a cracker from 20 yards and Sunderland almost squeezed an equaliser when Anthony Le Tallec was brought down by Mikael Silvestre a foot outside the area and his own free-kick was pawed aside by Van der Sar, Elliott turning the rebound into the side-netting.

For United it sounded the same old story: Rooney and Van Nistelrooy as their only Premiership scorers this season.

That changed courtesy of the substitute Giuseppe Rossi, a New Jersey teenager so squat that even Rooney towered over him with a pat of encouragement.

Rossi's low shot had fortune, deflecting in off Breen, but it provided an accomplice that Rooney had yearned for.

But in Rooney, McCarthy acknowledged that United have a very special talent. And he does not want to see him again in a big hurry. "He is a special player and England are relying on him to win the World Cup."

Sunderland, meanwhile, will remain willing but have no home win in five games and, with Portsmouth, Aston Villa and Birmingham due before Christmas, they must rectify that weakness to avoid the drop.

* Guardian Service